CIIS Philosophy, Cosmology, and Consciousness

PCC's graduate programs are committed to shaping the leadership necessary for profound, progressive transformation of social institutions and individuals.

Philosophy, Cosmology, and Consciousness (PCC) graduate programs are dedicated to re-imagining the human species as a mutually enhancing member of the Earth community. At the heart of the PCC programs is a focus on knowledge that is transformative—of ourselves and of our civilization. The programs attract intellectually engaged people who are in varying degrees dismayed by what they see happening

in industrial societies and who are striving to find meaningful ways to develop their gifts to serve the future of the world. Inspired by Alfred North Whitehead's view that the function of the university is to enable the future to appear, first in conceptual thought, PCC faculty and graduate students hold in mind three fundamental goals:

To open our consciousness, through learning and imagination, to those creative and evolutionary energies suffusing the Earth, the universe, and the deep psyche that will enable us to participate fully in the regeneration of human communities and their enveloping life systems. To analyze the current devastation of planetary life and to strive to liberate ourselves and our communities from the underlying causes of alienation, consumerism, militarism, androcentrism, and unsustainable modes of life. To draw from the deep wells of philosophical and religious wisdom together with other scholarly and scientific insights in order to bring forth a profound vision of a vibrant planetary era. Scientists, scholars, and visionaries recognize that the Earth community is facing an unprecedented evolutionary challenge, the most severe degradation of life in the last 65 million years. This multifaceted crisis requires a fundamental reorientation of our civilization, one in which a compassionate humanity becomes a mutually enhancing presence within Earth’s complex systems of life. Cultural historian Thomas Berry has called this task "the Great Work." The PCC master's and doctoral programs are committed to shaping the leadership necessary for profound, progressive transformation of social institutions and individual consciousness. Drawing upon some of the most powerful ideas of Western intellectual and spiritual traditions, together with insights from Asian spiritual philosophies and indigenous world views, the faculty has constructed a multidisciplinary course of study to help accelerate each student’s journey into his or her particular leadership role within this work:

PHILOSOPHY:
To free philosophy from its contemporary commitments—narrowly analytic, reductionist, and cosmologically alienated—and revive the original essence of Western philosophy as the love of wisdom. Philosophy in PCC explores new ways of thinking and being that are both visionary and pragmatic, and resist the paradigm of fragmentation that continues to dominate Western thought and culture. COSMOLOGY:
To pursue a multidisciplinary study of cosmology with a focus on the evolutionary unfolding of the universe and the Earth community. Cosmology in PCC includes reflection on the discoveries of the natural sciences as well as cosmological and ecological perspectives emerging in contemporary culture, including especially the arts and religion. CONSCIOUSNESS:
To explore the inner worlds of consciousness and the deep psyche, particularly by research concerning archetypal structures and their formative expression in individual lives and culture.

08/07/2024

I’ll be giving a couple of talks on Rudolf Steiner's "Social Threefolding" next week. One is for a local Waldorf High School. The other is for Steve McIntosh’s “Developmental Politics” organization. If you're not a member of his Zoom group yet, you can join to get the private link via email: https://developmentalist.org/join-steve-mcintoshs-monthly-zoom-group/

Brian Swimme on Consciousness, Cultural Evolution, and the Noosphere | Closer To Truth Chats

05/22/2024

Brian Swimme autocosmologizing about the source of the sunlight warming his skin https://www.youtube.com/embed/YyWELQypR9w?si=xbHbA7xQKt2kRbBX&clip=UgkxaYalu-zBMPdMMZDvgP6rpVe9myHKRPH3&clipt=ENaxgQEYtoaFAQ

Brian Swimme on Consciousness, Cultural Evolution, and the Noosphere | Closer To Truth Chats Professor Brian Swimme discusses cosmogenesis, our cultural evolution, human consciousness, the Noosphere, and more.Brian Thomas Swimme is a professor at the...

Photos from Center for Process Studies's post

05/06/2024

03/13/2024

I’ve learned Grace Cathedral is going to livestream our Artificial Intelligence panel later tonight (7:30pm Pacific). You can watch the program on their website: https://gracecathedral.org/watch-grace-cathedral/

Watch Grace Cathedral Join us for a brief service with spoken psalms, canticles, readings, and prayers. Part of the Liturgy of the Hours prayed by Christians

Askēsis as a Way of Life: On Saints, Mystics, Monastics, and Philosophers

03/05/2024

PCC doctoral candidate Adam Robbert will be in dialogue with Erik Davis at the Alembic in Berkeley this Friday. They will discuss the practice of philosophy as a way of life. Tickets are available at this link:

Askēsis as a Way of Life: On Saints, Mystics, Monastics, and Philosophers Explore how philosophy creates opportunities for dialogue among the saints, mystics, monastics, and philosophers of history past and present

02/29/2024

Online registration (including a student rate) still available!

6th Annual Religion & Ecology Summit: Q***r Ecologies and Religions | CIIS

02/15/2024

We are excited about the Ecology, Spirituality, and Religion program's 6th annual Religion & Ecology Summit coming up in April! This year's theme is Q***r Ecologies and Religions.

To learn more and get your ticket, click the link below.

6th Annual Religion & Ecology Summit: Q***r Ecologies and Religions | CIIS The 6th Annual Religion & Ecology Summit, focused on Q***r Ecologies and Religions, employs the lens of q***r theory to advance and enlarge the disciplines of ecology, spirituality, and religion.

Philosophy, Cosmology, Consciousness Degrees | CIIS

01/22/2024

This is the only official program-affiliated social media account for PCC, the Philosophy, Cosmology, and Consciousness program at CIIS. Any other social media accounts or groups are unofficial and unaffiliated with the PCC program or CIIS.

Learn more about our MA and PhD programs here:

Philosophy, Cosmology, Consciousness Degrees | CIIS CIIS' Philosophy, Cosmology, and Consciousness graduate programs are dedicated to reimagining the human species as a mutually enhancing member of the Earth community.

10/25/2023

Join us on Zoom Nov 29th at 5pm Pacific for a PCC Forum featuring associate professor in PCC Matt Segall in dialogue with Zen priest and retired clinical psychologist at Yale Medical School Seth Zuihō Segall. They will discuss Seth Segall’s new book, "The House We Live In: Virtue, Wisdom, and Pluralism" (Equinox, 2023), which attempts to grapple with the challenges facing our world by drawing upon the virtues and wisdom of Aristotelean, Buddhist, and Confucian traditions. Through a creative retrieval of these classical schools of thought and action, Seth Segall crafts a flourishing-based ethics for our era, advocating for a balance between individual freedoms and communal well-being. The book reaffirms the essence of pluralism and the liberal democratic tradition, emphasizing the need for a pragmatic approach to the issues dividing our increasingly polarized society.

Email [email protected] for the Zoom link.